Public holidays, observed throughout the United Kingdom, are required holidays when most businesses and non-essential services close down. These holidays were first officially observed when the 1871 Bank Holidays Act designated specific public holidays in England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland.

Today, the main statute that defines holidays is the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971. This Act gives Her Majesty the Queen the authority to grant one-time national holidays if she sees purpose. HRH Queen Elizabeth II has used this power for days of mourning and celebration, such as the recent marriage of her grandson Prince William.

Workers don’t have an automatic right to paid leave on bank and public holidays in the UK, though most full-time workers receive a paid day off work, and casual workers receive pay at higher penalty rates. Labor laws in the United Kingdom provide the employers with the option to give a paid day off in lieu for public holidays, most employers opt for the premium pay to keep businesses operational on other dates.

If a public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the holiday is normally postponed to the following week day, which is then referred to as a “substitute public holiday” or an “observed holiday”.